I think we can call this a win

BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's national security adviser says his country will not accept any deal with the United States unless the agreement sets specific dates for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.

The comments by Mouwaffak al-Rubaie come a day after Iraq's prime minister first said publicly that he expects the pending troop deal with the United States to have some type of timetable for withdrawal.

President Bush has said he opposes a timetable.

Al-Rubaie told reporters Tuesday the country "will not accept any memorandum of understanding that doesn't have specific dates to withdraw foreign forces."

I think this pretty well proves that the war is won.

The last vestiges of al Qaeda in Iraq are being killed, captured or driven away into foreign sanctuaries even as I type this - after losing over 20,000 dead and may thousands more captured. The people of Iraq have turned against bin Ladenism in all its forms just as they have rejected Iran (the knowledge that the Iranians were behind so much of the bloodshed that tormented them for so long has much to do with that).

Simply put our work there is almost finished anyway. If you doubt me look at how little the war has been mentioned in the New York Times of late.

Both political parties have based much of their appeal this year on Iraq. The Democrats are promising that if we elect them they will cut and run from Iraq so fast that it will challenge the speed of light while the Republicans are warning us that only they will stay the course and achieve victory.

It is ironic that the issue is about to be taken away from both of them by the courageous performance of our troops on the ground and their brilliant leadership. The enemy is dead or fled and the Iraqi government, which was supposed to be a basket case able to function from one minute to the next only because it was being propped up by US troops now feels ready to stand on its own two feet.

Think any of the anti-war loons will apologize to either the troops or the president?

Yes, I know. I'll pause here to let you stop laughing.

Of course the picture isn't 100% good. The fact that the Iraqis want us to leave means that they wish to reinsert themselves into the Arab/Muslim world as members in good standing and so cannot be seen to be puppets of the Americans. This means that they want to go back to being good Muslim Jew haters and America distrusters like all their neighbors.

Still at the end of the day turning the Arab equivalent of Nazi Germany into the Arab equivalent of modern France has to be seen as a significant victory.